Seven to launch new catch-up platform

Seven will launch a new online platform offering long form catch-up TV content within six months.

It will replace Yahoo7’s Plus7 offering, which launched in 2010.

The new platform will be fully owned by Seven West Media.

The move comes at a time when Verizon completes its acquisition of Yahoo Inc., to be rebranded as Oath, and Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer announced her resignation in the US. Seven West Media and AOL/Verizon will continue to invest in the Yahoo7 joint venture in Australia.

Kurt Burnette, Chief Revenue Officer for Seven West Media, said “Our JV partners own and operate one of the world’s largest digital advertising businesses and we look forward to driving home this leadership in local and global best content, technology and innovation.

“Australia’s number one television network will now be even more seamlessly connected and sold with the number one commercial catch up TV service delivering the most effective ‘total video’ results for advertisers.

“The Seven team will continue its selling across all screens as has been the case for sport, sponsorship and integration and that will now extend and apply to all long form Seven content online.”

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16 Comments:

Out of all of the catch-up services it is currently the best one and very reliable to use with a patchy internet connection. I just hope the new service doesn’t include more re-runs of The Big Bang Theory!!!.

I really hope they have a revamp of what they offer cause it’s pretty bare compared to the others. Would really like to re-watch City Homicide, not on Plus7 which you would assume it would be but unfortunately it’s not.

When you release the new platform make sure it has been thoroughly Beta tested. The recent change to enable Chromecast support is full of bugs. There is no excuse in this day and age. Also make sure it meets demand unlike the Tennis app and Olympics apps of the past. Seven West Media don’t have the best track record.

Please, no ads! I couldn’t watch MKR earlier this year on TV because of the ads but when I watched it on Plus 7 it was plain sailing. I could watch it all the way thru with no ads or graffiti on the screen and it was enjoyable. With ads it would have been a mess like on TV.

If you force people to create an account to use your catch up site like nine and sbs do I will not be very happy. Please do not force users to create an account to use the site. Accounts on catch up sites should always be optional.

Why? These sites are free of charge, and to help them to be able to provide the content that the audiences need / desire targeted advertising helps them to be able to do this. If you dont want to sign up then no one is forcing you to, so don’t. As I said they are still all free.

So you expect viewers to have to create 5 different accounts, remember 5 different passwords for the 5 different catch up sites we have in this country if it gets to that. When you require viewers to jump through hurdles to use something you run the risk of losing viewers and free to air has a long history of making things hard and losing viewers. If you turn on the tv you don’t need an account. Since catch up sites are predominately a way to catch up on recent shows the same should apply. Viewers just want to go to a catch up site, pick their show and watch.

I realise this has been a bugbear of yours, and while it’s a shame the universal Freeview catch-up did not eventuate I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have a login for a free site (he says running a free site with a login). It’s a point you’ve made a number of times I believe.

David I don’t need a login to read your site. I can bring up the website in my browser, read it and get the information I need . A login is only required to comment and that is optional. Very different from a catch up site where one day I could go in look up a program and press play and the next day the site is unusable without a login.

There are lots of commentators on this site that make the same points on a regular basis on various issues in tv land. I don’t see what I said as any different.